Travers Smith Training Contract Interview Questions

The training contract interview process at Travers Smith is as follows:

• Online application
• First interview
• Second interview

First Interview

Your interview will be a straight forward discussion session, where a lawyer from the firm (most probably a partner or associate) will ask you questions about yourself, your application and your CV. You may also be asked a couple of competency-based questions.

These will include common questions such as:

• Why have you chosen a career in law?
• Why have you chosen Travers Smith?
• What do you think you will you be doing in your first year at Travers Smith?

You will also be asked tougher questions which relate to ethics and law, morals, and issues involving torture, the death penalty, the ethics of war, etc.

In the past, candidates have been asked:

• If you could change any law, what would it be?
• An investment bank has just accepted lots of money from a foreign investor. They will give this money to their staff in the form of bonuses - is it right for them to do this?

Interviewers may try to confuse you and try to get you to contradict yourself. Make sure you are prepared to argue your point of view, whatever it is. Your interviewers want to see you backing up your opinions with sensible, intelligent reasoning and not getting confused and backing down when things get tough.

Your interview should last 45 - 60 minutes.

There are no tests or case study questions at any stage of the interview process.

Second Interview

The second interview is with two partners, usually the graduate recruitment partner and one other. This usually lasts around an hour and a half, and you will be asked a wide variety of questions. The interview will be highly business/economics-based, and you should prepare for this and pay attention to the Financial Times and general news in the lead up to your interview.

You will be asked about specific modules you studied at university (if you studied law) and other hypotheticals.

Be prepared give opinions on major issues and to argue your side if you are put under pressure with opposing arguments from the partners. You need to be confident and show you are intelligent and strong-willed enough to stand up for yourself.